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Cllr Andrew Cornwell |
Town Hall poised to defy Boris over bikers in bus lanes
Islington pledged to continue ban on its roads
THE Lib Dem-controlled Town Hall is threatening a major showdown with Tory Mayor of London Boris Johnson over plans to allow motorcyclists in bus lanes.
From January, motorcyclists will be able to share red route bus lanes in London with buses, cyclists and licensed black taxis during an 18-month trial period.
But Islington Council refuses to co-operate with the plans. The council’s chief executive, John Foster, is to warn Mr Johnson of “the harm” that would be done by allowing motorcycles in bus lanes.
If Transport for London (TfL) allows motorcycles to use bus lanes on its network, the council is pledged to ban them from lanes on roads controlled by the council.
Lib Dem councillor Andrew Cornwell, a cyclist, said: “One reason cycling has risen so rapidly in recent years is the creation by Transport for London of a vastly expanded network of bus lanes. While standards of bus driving still need to improve, in essence bus lanes create a relatively protected space for cyclists on main roads.”
Since 2000, there had been a 91 per cent rise in cycle journeys on major roads, he added.
“Putting motorcycles – a mode of transport with the highest casualty rate of any – into bus lanes will put that progress at risk,” he warned.
“It will deter more people from taking up cycling, as Mayor Johnson claims to want, and may well increase the number of deaths and injuries on our roads.”
Islington Cyclist Action Group supports the council’s stance. Spokesman Stephen Taylor said cyclists across London opposed the Mayor’s plans. “We need genuine road safety measures, such as a London-wide 20mph limit, which will improve the safety of all road users, and not a scheme which might benefit a handful at the expense of the more vulnerable,” he added.
Islington’s two cycling Labour MPs, Jeremy Corbyn and Emily Thornberry, oppose the scheme.
Holloway writer Christian Wolmar, a board member of Cycling England, said: “Now buses and bicycles have learnt to live with each other, the lanes are very safe for cyclists. I’ve no doubt motorcyclists will make cyclists less safe by breaking the speed limit.
“To encourage cycling we have to make sure it’s safe and allowing motorcycles in bus lanes doesn’t do that. If Boris Johnson wants novice cyclists to adopt his cycle-hire scheme, then he can’t allow speeding motorcycles in the bus lanes. Boris seems to have muddled his policies.”
Green councillor Katie Dawson warned that cyclists would be put in danger.
“At a time when we are trying to get more people onto push bikes we need to think radical,” she said.
“The biggest factor that stops people cycling is fear of being injured or killed. If we’re serious about getting people onto bikes we should do radical things to make it safer and more attractive – not just painting strips at the side of busy roads.”
But Lib Dem councillor Greg Foxsmith, who uses both a pedal cycle and a motorbike, supports the Mayor’s scheme.
“Cyclists and motorcyclists are vulnerable and it’s not each other they should be worried about but the bendy buses,” he said.
“There are in fact very few accidents between cyclists and motorcyclists.”
The change will apply only to TfL bus lanes which operate with the flow of traffic.
For more information about the lanes affected and how to make representations about the scheme, go to www.tfl.gov.uk/motorcyclesinbuslanes |
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Your comments:
"Putting motorcycles – a mode of transport with the highest casualty rate of any – into bus lanes will put that progress at risk."
Might the fact that motorcycles have to ride into oncoming traffic and constantly filter, be part of the reason that the accident rate in London is so high. Being able to ride in clear bus lanes where bikers can see cyclists and be seen by other traffic could be key to bringing the accident rate down.
G. Owens
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